Wolf time, p.22
Siege: The Rider's Dragon 02, page 22
If anything, that area of his body seemed stronger than any other part he could examine. He almost wished he could recreate the effects through the rest of his body. After more fruitless searching, he gave up examining himself for flaws that apparently didn’t exist.
He still hadn’t fallen asleep, so he brought up his scores to see if they’d changed. They hadn’t, and he still appeared to be a peak C-rank dragon, which led him to dismiss his readout with a snort. Nemesis contemplated just faking slumber, but then he felt Talia stirring.
Acting on a whim, the black dragon opened his eyes and looked at her. She had pulled her tongue back into her mouth and was wiping drool from her lips. He reached down and gripped her braid, then dragged her up against him.
She seemed surprised when he put her head on his shoulder. Talia relaxed into his embrace, not questioning why he wrapped his arms around her or held her cuddled against his torso.
The gold dragon, unlike Nemesis, was quick to fall asleep. He chose to remain still and hold her as she slumbered. One hand caressed her head as he dedicated his time to studying the formations in the globe. With the high mana levels nearby, the metal inscriptions were glowing to his sight.
He could see what the formations were doing, but he didn’t understand the how. Talia was absorbing most of the mana in the chamber, but some of it was being drawn through the inscriptions and channeled elsewhere. Nemesis remembered that the observation room was supposed to increase the mana density as high as his riders could handle it, which meant they were likely cultivating at that moment.
He reached out through the muffling effects of the formations to try and sense their minds. Harper’s was the sharpest, and he felt that she was in a deep trance. Min’s vibrant mind was active, and definitely cultivating. Kaia, he couldn’t make out quite as clearly, though judging by the warm sensations, he suspected she’d had a climax recently. That had him smiling.
I bet they couldn’t resist touching themselves as they watched my masterful performance. They try so hard to have self-control, but humanoids will always be slaves to their reproductive urges. It’s good they have me to temper them. As long as I am satisfying their cravings, they’re unlikely to fall into the foibles of their species.
He closed his eyes once more and let his body go limp save for his hand stroking Talia’s hair. Nemesis realized that he enjoyed having her cuddled up against him. He pictured Harper, Min, and Kaia all adding to the pile and…
Huh… perhaps there are more precious things to hoard than gold…
Eventually, Talia woke and the mana levels had dropped to where it was safe to open the chamber door. Once they’d exited the room and passed out of the tunnel into the morning air, they were confronted by a trio of paper birds fluttering around their base.
Nemesis almost destroyed them on sight, then he realized they were messenger talismans designed to track down someone’s mana signature. He captured them with his telekinetics and drew them close enough for Talia to decipher who exactly they were seeking.
“There’s one for each of our riders. If you or I try to open them, the messages will self-destruct. They’re legion standard missives. We’ll have to get the others from the observation station. Are they done cultivating?” the gold dragon asked.
Nemesis didn’t blame her for the concern in her voice. The group had left to go on an extended scouting mission and weren’t meant to be back for some time. For someone to have sent talismans after them implied something was wrong at the outpost.
He closed his eyes and stretched out with his mind. He ran into the muffling effects of the obsidian sphere, stronger on the outside than it had been at the center. “I can’t tell,” he finally admitted. “The cultivation globe traps in energies, and apparently also works to block my telepathy. I can get a dim sense that they’re focused on something, but they could be talking about how good we looked, cultivating, or communing with the universe itself, for all I know.”
Talia stretched and thrust out her chest. “We did look good,” she said.
Nemesis didn’t object to her glances at all, though they did remind him that he wasn’t wearing his robes. He cast about with his senses and finally found the clothing about halfway between the chamber and the living tower. He plucked it up, shook off the dirt, and returned it to his body in a flicker of thought.
The idea that the legion might currently be under attack had occurred to Nemesis—he simply didn’t care much. Most of the soldiers were strangers to him, and the ones that stood out, he didn’t like. Commander Toh was… potentially a decent man, but anyone who allowed Jaden to run loose wasn’t someone he put much faith in. Still, he knew that Harper would want to avoid a slaughter. She was a kinder person than he.
“Ugh, we’d best fetch them. Harper will be mad if I allow the outpost to be wiped out.”
Talia let out a snort. “Kaia too. She feels a strong loyalty to her kingdom, even if she doesn’t care for the empire at large. But before we do, tell me, did something happen to your core while we…?” Talia circled her hand to encompass everything they’d done.
Nemesis bit off a laugh as he used his telekinesis to open the doors once more so they could start back down the tunnel. “Yes. In fact, I seem to have another secondary core… this one comprised of fire. Given the sensations running through me, I suspect I might even be able to breath fire soon, if I can’t already.”
Talia nodded her head rapidly. “Then it wasn’t just me! A strange energy flowed into me from you… except it wasn’t a type of mana I recognized at first.”
Nemesis cocked an eyebrow as he glanced back at her. “What is it?”
“It’s the inverse of poison: curative mana. Healing magic. I wouldn’t have recognized it if I hadn’t helped create some formations to improve health before we training. It’s a blend of different manas that come together to enhance life energy and healing.”
Nemesis felt confused as to why she’d have acquired that. He opened the side tunnel to the observation room and felt a tiny tension release when the doors moved out of the way and allowed him to sense what was going on inside. The women were cultivating. He strode in without hesitation, dragging the talismans behind him.
“We’ve got messages from the outpost.”
He sent the appropriate letter flipping over to the proper woman. After a second he realized he needed to…. untie Harper if she was to read the message. That took barely any thought, though since he’d ruined her pants she only had her vest to dress in. She didn’t seem to mind, though her slim legs distracted him quite a bit.
The questions he felt stirring in their minds faded as they plucked the birds out of the air. The paper unfolded into sheets of densely written script, and their concentration spiked as each woman began to read. Nemesis braided Harper’s hair once more as he waited. Impulse drove him to use some of the leftover leather to give Kaia and Min matching braids, though for them the hair didn’t descend much past the centers of their back.
Hmmm, Min’s hair is growing out. A few months ago it only reached her shoulders.
While he could have learned what was in the message by peeking over their shoulders or skimming their thoughts, the dragon bided his time and waited for an explanation. Fortunately it came soon—he’d found himself growing hungry and had started contemplating going off to hunt when Harper’s head snapped up.
“The outpost is under attack,” she said, “and it looks like the orcs brought their full army this time. Commander Toh is recalling us to the base as fast as we can fly. He’s also instructed us to fly high, claiming that the army has numerous groups of giants equipped with dragon-slaying equipment.”
There was a moment of shock, then everyone began moving to clear the cultivation area and gather what they needed to go. Nemesis could read the frantic emotions pouring off everyone and swiftly established the telepathic link between them.
‘Before everyone goes their separate ways, we need to prioritize. Harper, can any of the ingredients you were looking over be made into useful potions for this?’ he asked.
Harper, who had been running toward her pack, froze. Thoughts flew rapidly through her head, so strongly he could almost read them without trying. After a few seconds, her voice came back clear. ‘Yes, a number of the fire plants you brought can be made into flame potions. I’ll get on it.’
Nemesis nodded, then turned his attention to Min. “We need to fit Artax’ saddle to me, I… am sorry if that seems callous.’
A wave of emotion poured off the blonde human. She took several deep breaths, then turned to face him. Resolve settled over her face as she forced down the grief and took control of the anger. ‘It’s fine, and you’re right. Meet me in the courtyard and I’ll make it work.’
Kaia and Talia had vanished into the living tower and Nemesis didn’t interrupt them, since he didn’t know enough about what formations they might cook up to offer any advice. Instead, he moved into the open space to reclaim his true form. A pulse of his telekinesis cleared the area so nothing was crushed beneath his weight.
Nemesis stifled a curse when he realized he should have stripped off his robes before transforming. With the fabric having transformed into his old saddle, he was forced to strip the tight material. Buckles were undone and straps flew through them fast enough to scorch the leather.
He lifted the mass from his back and rolled it into a bundle, then shoved it up against the crafting hall. His only regret was that the specialized trunk on its back was impossible to remove due to the enchantments: it was all one piece with the leather.
Hoisting the chariot-style saddle upward, Nemesis took a moment to examine all of the straps. He didn’t detect any tears, though some of the straps could benefit from replacing. None were in danger of failure at the moment, which meant it was time to drop the weight on his back.
Even as he let it land on the heavily armored scales of his spine, he was stripping the javelin quivers from his old saddle. Those at least weren’t sealed together with the leather… though he wasn’t sure why. Enchantments were strange.
Min, meanwhile, was saving him some mental energy by climbing under him and pulling the straps into place and locking them tight. A decade’s experience had given her a keen eye for exactly where they should go. She took a moment to run her hands over his scales to ensure none had edges that would cut into the leather, a genuine concern.
Nemesis used telekinesis to warp the metal along the inner face of the chariot. The pinched steel formed hooks that would hold the quivers in place. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best he could do with the materials at hand.
Min, climbing onto his back and reviewing the saddle, paused. “I can do better than that. Give me a moment to get something from the forge.”
The blonde launched herself from his back in a burst of water mana. Her steps became fluid, gliding along the ground with ease to speed her journey. Nemesis simply double checked all of the straps while he waited. He took the time to check on the others and found fierce concentration radiating from all of them. He quickly withdrew, knowing it would be foolish to interrupt their focus.
If it were up to me, I’d probably not bother going back to the outpost, he admitted to himself. Unleashing our true strength will likely cause nothing but problems. Cambus was stronger than I expected him to be, but there’s no way he’ll be able to match where I am now. Of course, the big bastard still has some advantages in a fight… his mass alone is a problem. There’s also a good chance his scales can resist my venom.
The caustic power of his acid was undeniable, but Cambus was attuned to acid as well; it was usually difficult to kill something with its own element. Nemesis hadn’t actually used his venom on true dragons, since the lethality of his poison would have ended them.
As a result, he didn’t know how well he could melt through dragon scales. There was a solid chance the toxins in his breath could sicken Cambus, even possibly kill him, if Nemesis hit his eyes or mouth.
Cambus might be lazy and stupid, but he was one of the better fighters in our combat classes. Glaive and Persephone taught him the errors of trying to use his size to beat every opponent, and he can move his head fast when he chooses. I can’t count on something as simple as spitting in his eyes to kill him.
Nemesis loathed giving the green any praise. Years of training with Cambus had solidified his dislike into a genuine distaste and contempt… but the continual thrashing he’d experienced in their combat classes when he couldn’t use his agility to his advantage had taught him that just because Cambus was beneath him didn’t mean he could ignore the dragon’s strengths.
Nemesis contemplated how easy it might be to arrange an ‘accident’ where Cambus was knocked down amidst the orcs. The army could solve his problems for him and reduce the green to a corpse for him… then he snarled in disgust.
No, I have my pride. When I swallow his core it will be because I killed him myself. I don’t need to use lesser beings to do my killing for me. The bastard probably isn’t even strong enough to push me to B-rank.
Min returned at that moment and had a number of chains and straps in her arms. Across her back was a pack loaded with smithing tools. She ran up his body with the agility of a squirrel, then knelt to start working immediately. The banging grated on his ears, but he knew there was nothing for it. Anchor points were vital to aerial combat, and he wasn’t about to allow his riders to be killed by the slip of a quiver or a broken strap.
She hammered pins through the metal he’d creased and fixed true straps to them. After that, Min took thin strips of metal and he held them in place while she reinforced the creases with hammered bolts of some sort. Her mind gave him a clear image of what she was trying to do, such that it felt more like he was loaning her his telekinesis, rather than participating himself. The connection allowed his mind to wander once more.
I can’t imagine Jaden will be able to hide from the fight. He might be a coward and a bully, but he has a War dragon and his reputation is at stake. He’ll be trying to prove himself, which means showing off Cambus’ power. A decisive victory here could see him placed high within the Scaleguard at the end of his assignment. He’s so eager for it he used the gate to arrive early… and from what I gleaned, that was meant to ensure the legion could retreat in the face of impossible odds.
Nemesis amused himself by imagining all the ways Jaden might slip up and get himself killed. Given the abilities he’d seen from the orcs so far, there turned out to be many methods to dream about. A few minutes later, with a sigh, the dragon acknowledged it wasn’t likely.
Defeating the orcs will remove the immediate threats, and also likely put us in a position where Jaden won’t act against us. Proving our strength will force him to back down, though he’s stupid enough to be irritating. But it is almost assured that Toh will send back reports about the speed at which we’re rising through the ranks. Being labeled a genius might work for Harper and the others, but Talia and I will be anomalies in their eyes. We’ve kept logs of our kills, and defeating the forest king explains a great deal of it… but the chances our rise in strength being brought to the attention of Kolos is still significant.
He let out a rumbling sigh and Min paused in her work. “Everything okay, Nemmy?” she asked. He realized that she was happy. Working with her hands and preparing for battle against her enemies had allowed her to shrug off her grief, at least for the moment.
“Yes, I’m just annoyed that we can’t spend more time cultivating,” he answered aloud. He chose to speak so he didn’t accidentally color his thoughts and disrupt her positive mood. He’d noticed her growing sensitivity to his mental energy, and found himself enjoying her happiness.
“Horny dragon,” she teased. “While I would love to grow stronger… I can’t wait to make the orcs pay for what they did.”
Anger tinged her voice, and her mood grew turbulent. Grief threatened and Nemesis floundered for something to say that might help stabilize her mood. “We will—Artax gave me his breath so that I could use it to continue protecting you.”
The moment he said that, he flinched internally, a vague worry he’d made things worse rising… but his gamble paid off. Her mood turned tender, and while he saw a few tears gather in her eyes, she regained her composure.
“Yeah, yeah he did. Thank you.”
Nemesis found himself grateful when Talia and Kaia came into the open space between the buildings. Talia transformed into her beautiful true self, and Kaia climbed aboard his back to discuss some formation plates they’d brought out. Nemesis occupied himself with lifting Talia’s saddle into place and following her directions to strap it comfortably.
Her saddle… confused him. To be honest, he wouldn’t have been able to assemble it without her help. He’d never realized how the shape of her wings altered the needs of her gear. The wing-fingers that extended out from her sides had membranes passing between them, which meant that no straps could wrap around her ribs. The longest of the bony fingers started at her shoulders. Her saddle actually attached around her neck, and then a long harness went around the hips of her front legs.
It looked awkward and made him glad he shared the same body type as Artax. His saddle’s back end fastened to the heavy spikes that emerged along his spine. He’d heard some larger dragons had ended up requiring bolts to be drilled through some of their scales just to allow their riders to remain mounted.
Nemesis snorted at the idea.
Once he had Talia’s equipment firmly in place, he turned his head to focus on what Kaia and Min were discussing.
“We’ve got enough of these wind cores that we decided to use them in defensive formations. The plates can be attached to the saddles, and once you insert the core a wind bubble will keep most of the arrows away. It won’t stop the stone spears, though… and I’d still watch out for the ogre archers, but the orc arrows won’t come near you,” Kaia said.
